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Great White Sharks gather together by the tiny pacific island of Guadalupe and use body language to communicate with each other. Photo by Morne Hardenberg - Atlantic Edge Films

For the past two years a team from the BBC’s Natural History Unit has been travelling the world to create the ultimate wildlife trilogy about sharks. These extraordinary yet misunderstood fish were filmed using the latest high-definition and high-speed camera technology.

The first of the three films looks at the great diversity of sharks and what makes them such superior predators. To do this, the BBC team videoed more than 30 species of sharks and rays in dozens of locations, including the bizarrely named tassled wobbegong and the epaulette shark, which can walk! The second film reveals the secret lives of sharks and rays, recording everything from courtship and mating to the remarkable ways they navigate and the surprising relationships they have developed with other organisms. The team filmed shark courtship, baby sharks developing and even shark teeth cleaning!

The final instalment shows the extraordinary work of shark scientists across the world, including Save Our Seas-funded project leaders working in The Bahamas, South Africa and the USA. Demian Chapman, who is studying oceanic whitetips, explains that sharks, as top predators, are vital to the health of ocean ecosystems. Alison Kock has been studying where sharks go and how they find their prey in False Bay, South Africa, where great whites share the water with surfers and swimmers. David Ebert has discovered 24 new shark species and he thinks there could still be many more to find. These are the people uncovering the secrets of sharks and helping to secure their future.

This new series, narrated by Paul McGann, aims to change everything you thought about sharks, revealing all aspects of their lives and showing them to be intelligent, social and complex creatures.

Cover image

Great White Sharks gather together by the tiny pacific island of Guadalupe and use body language to communicate with each other. Photo by Morne Hardenberg - Atlantic Edge Films